Welcome

Hello, my name is Anya, an attorney by degree and an educator by heart, I am thrilled you are here! I am an author of this blog, and I have been hanging out in this little corner of the internet for over two years now, sharing how we learn and play together at home. I am so glad you have decided to stop by and explore our world a little more! Let me tell you a bit about myself.

Montessori-From-The-Heart-About-Us

Being passionate about People, Little People, Montessori and the love of learning, I espouse respect, intrinsic motivation, authenticity, diversity, unity, and peace! I respect and follow the child while offering a supportive and sufficiently stimulating prepared environment which spurs enthusiasm and hands-on exploration!

A little bit more about me: I hold the Juris Doctor degree, but after experiencing the blissfulness of motherhood, instead of practicing law, I decided to devote myself to my children: 10 and 6-year-old, my family and my home, becoming a happy full-time stay-at-home mom (SAHM), a wife and a blogger who enjoys learning, nature, photography, and most of all, seeing the world through the eyes of my children. So, I am not a certified teacher by degree (my Doctorate Degree is not in education), however, I am an educator by heart! My credentials come from my passion which led to a lot of reading, research and observing what has worked for us since it is not what is in the books, but what that knowledge can do to help our children grow to their fullest potentials!

I am passionate about the Montessori method of education because it focuses on the child, promoting autonomous (and let me say perpetual) learning. Dr. Montessori emphasized that “within the child, lies the fate of the future” and it is in our hands, as educators, to bring these spirits up to the fullest of their potentials. While not every teacher is a parent, every parent is a teacher, and I have come to realize the immense satisfaction learning has brought to me, along with the ability to share my knowledge with others, especially my children. During our homeschooling journey, we learn and explore, and in the process, grow, connect and become closer to each other and the larger community by becoming better Global Stewards. “We shall walk together on this path of life, for all things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole unity.” — Dr. Maria Montessori. This blog is about our Montessori life’s journey, and I hope you will feel my love for my children, education, and the world around us. I strive to sustain my children’s curiosity and the love of learning while cherishing the beauty of this world, as well as respecting and caring for it. Together we celebrate life!

“The unknown energy that can help humanity is that which lies hidden in The Child … [a] human being to whom respect is due, superior to us by reason of their innocence and of the greater possibilities of their future.” — Dr. Maria Montessori.

Our homeschooling journey is very much Montessori inspired, so if you are interested in learning more, I have written a post with book suggestions here Books To Raise A Child The Montessori Way.

Short History of Montessori Education: Maria Montessori was an Italian physician, educator, and innovator, acclaimed for her educational method that builds on the way children naturally learn. She opened the first Montessori school—the Casa dei Bambini, or Children’s House—in Rome in 1907. Subsequently, she traveled the world and wrote extensively about her approach to education, attracting many devotees. There are now more than 20,000 Montessori schools in at least 110 countries worldwide. (Read more here.)

Her Montessori Method of education is a child-centered educational approach based on scientific observations of children from birth to adulthood. Dr. Montessori’s Method has been time tested, with over 100 years of success in diverse cultures throughout the world. It is a view of the child as one who is naturally eager for knowledge and capable of initiating learning in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared learning environment. It is an approach that values the human spirit and the development of the whole child—physical, social, emotional, cognitive. (Read more here.)

Maria Montessori believed that “the study of love and its utilization will lead us to the source from which it springs, the Child” … [who is]“an enigma” … the one with “highest potentialities” and that it is our “basic task” as an “educator” (whether as a parent at home or a teacher at school) to “aid life, leaving it free, however, to unfold itself …” She strongly believed that to release human potentials, we “must take a new path” of education, which “should no longer be mostly imparting knowledge” but be a “natural process … acquired not by listening to words, but by experiences in the environment.” “It is not in human nature for all men to tread the same path of development, as animals do of a single species.”

My goal is to introduce the Montessori home-school education model to parents, and I hope you find information on my blog useful and some activities applicable to your family-style.

“We cannot make a genius … we can only give each individual the chance to fulfill his potential possibilities to become an independent, secure, and balanced human being.”— Dr. Maria Montessori. I truly hope you will follow along. And, please, check hereMONTESSORI At HOME Made EASY • MEMBERS ONLY should you decide to embrace Montessori with all your heart! I very much hope we can become friends while embarking on this amazing journey of knowledge and perpetual growth while trying to make our world a more peaceful place.